Food, Wine, Culture TV: The War IS ON!! Episode 13: Beer vs. Wine(s)

In this 13th episode, Greg and Mike taste two wines and a beer to determine what goes best with Mike’s recipe of Fried Chicken. Will it be the German ale? Or perhaps the Cali Zin? You’re going to have to tune in to find out!

Do YOU have a favorite beverage for fried chicken? Have suggestions for an upcoming show? Leave a comment and let us know!!!

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April Wine Club Roundup: “Darker Than Blue Cafe” - and some good Zinfandel

On April 29, 2008 the foodandwineblog.com wine club met up to enjoy upscale yet traditional American cuisine and try our luck with some Zinfandel. We had a great turnout (including many newcomers) and ended up trying three sparkling wines (one Cava, two Prosecco), 8 Zinfandels, and one Petit Sirah (no notes taken!). The food was great as it always is at Darker Than Blue Cafe (read my review here). Huge thanks to Chef/co-owner Casey Jenkins and our server (Hassan) for keeping the food and waters coming! I highly recommend Darker Than Blue Cafe for a comfortable, laid back dinner of traditional American Cuisine. The serving sizes are more than generous (just ask anyone who ordered a roasted chicken or slow-cooked beef ribs!) and the restaurant is BYOB - it is it one of the best BYOB restaurants in the Baltimore area. If the blackened tilapia is on the menu…it’s a must try.

Great job by Krista and Eric (pictured here) in bringing the only Primitivo of the bunch and providing two of the top three wines (actually, great work Krista!). By popular vote, the top three Zins were:

1. 2005 Rosa del Golfo Primitivo: smokey nose, dark fruits, but I thought it fell apart on the finish. We adhere to the rules of democracy though, so this was the overall winner! My rating: 84 pts, PV
2. 2005 Ridge Three Rivers Zinfandel: A solid bottle from one of the best producers of Zinfandel in the world. Notes of dark fruit, chocolate and a touch of spice. My rating: 89 pts
3. 2006 Rabbit Ridge Zinfandel Central Coast: Good concentrated fruit flavors but not jammy with nice acidity and a long finish. My rating: 88 pts

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Tasting Notes: Chameleon Cellars and Bravante

Notes from a recent tasting. Overall, there wasn’t a “bad” wine in the bunch. Some were good, some were great. A few outstanding! The Chameleon Cellars wines are styled to let the fruit express itself and would be best consumed any night of the week with a good, simple food pairing. In contrast, the Bravante wines are complex, elegant examples of the potential of the fruits with good blends and the right amount of oak. These wines are built to stand up to big steaks, rich dishes, and for the most part are structured to last a few years in the cellar. Both producers are highly recommended - at least a few wines from each! In fact, I recommend that you go out and find a wine from either (or both) producer(s), drink it, write what you think, and e-mail them to me or post a comment! (These wines can be found online or at shops throughout Baltimore)

Without further ado, in the order we drank them:

2006 Chameleon Cellars Sauvignon Blanc North Coast: Tropical fruits and some mineral on the nose - honeydew, peach, apple, and jasmine on the palate - good acidity, nice crisp finish. My rating: 89 pts, GV (Good value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Grenache - Mendocino: Nose filled with cherry and raspberry, a touch of smoke and a mild wet dirt component. Lot’s of black cherry on the palate, light then becoming fuller with medium tannins. Would be great with rabbit. My rating: 87 pts, OKV

2003 Chameleon Cellars Charbono: Nose of spruce, herbs, eucalyptus, with cherry and white pepper on the palate. Overall good balance but could benefit from a touch more acidity. The finish is medium length and brings back a hint of herbs. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Carignane: The most widely planted grape in southeastern France, this Salono County Carignane was made from hillside vines and fruit from a warm growing season. The result is an earthy nose with a touch of chocolate. Good acidity with cherry notes, light in style with a smooth finish - very interesting wine that would pair nicely with a variety of wild game. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2005 Chameleon Cellars Syrah: Brilliant color and weight to this wine. Just approaching the glass with your nose you are bombarded with red pepper and spice. A lot of fruits stand out in the wine and the medium tannins are well integrated. More Old-World in style which is a good thing! My rating: 90 pts, VGV (Very Good Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Petit Sirah: Coming from 112 year old vines, this Petit Sirah is very good (tasted from 3 bottles). Dark purple color, aromas of dark cherry, spice and cigar box. Big, dark fruits and black pepper on the palate - great structure, big, chewy tannins and a 30 second finish. Drink one now and lay a few down for the next 5 years when it should peak. My rating: 91 pts, OV (Outstanding Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Barbera Mendocino: Beautiful bright color, vibrant red fruits, tightly wound but explosive - the wine is balanced and finishes crisp - a great pizza wine. My rating: 86 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Zinfandel, Gordon Valley (Napa): Concentrated flavors, blackberry, blueberry, earth, spice, medium tannins. My rating: 87 pts, GV

2004 Chameleon Cellars Merlot: Plum, cherry, raspberry notes. As with many of the other Chameleon wines, the fruits really stand out, but this one lacks balance of the other wines. My rating: 86 pts, OKV (OK Value)

2005 Chameleon Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon: In this first effort at a Cabernet, Chameleon did a fine job. Don’t expect the creamy, oakiness of many other Cabs as this was designed to let the fruit shine. Earth notes, blackberry, black cherry, bell pepper, medium tannins with a bite. No formal rating was recorded during my tasting but from memory it was good. At the price, it’s worth trying to see if it’s your style. NR (No rating)

2004 Bravante Merlot - $38: Plum, cherry, touch of thyme. Good mid-palate filled with fruits and some acidity that becomes balanced into soft tannins. A touch of sweet fruit returns on the finish and is highlighted with black pepper. My rating: 88 pts, GV

2004 Bravante Trio, $40: This blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cab Franc is quite good. Lot’s of black fruits and buttered toast, dried herbs on the nose. The wine is complex with chocolate, blackberry, and some sweet cedar, has great structure and balance and finishes with layers of flavors and big tannins - I’d lay a few bottles down (if you can find them!) for 3 or more years. My rating: 93 pts, VGV

2004 Bravante Cabernet Sauvignon - $50: Consistent with my previous notes: dark fruits, deep color, herb, vanilla. Not decanted this time around, but it drank nicely. My rating: 92 pts, GV

2003 Bravante Simpatico - $75: This was my wine of the night - layers and layers of dark fruits, earth, cherry, cigar box, anise, spice. Huge body, big tannins, a Cadillac among Fiats. Big, long finish, did I mention this wine is big? Pricey but worth it if you like big California Cabs (wine is roughly 80% Cab Sauvignon and 20% Cab Franc) can find a few bottles of this very limited release. For best enjoyment, lay it down for at least 5 years maybe 10 or more! My rating: 94 pts, CV (this wine has “cellar” or “collectible” value - meaning if you can afford it, definitely go for it!).

Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of the Year - What I thought!

This month The Wine Spectator released it’s top 100 wines of the year. Without getting into what I thought of their selections, and with 2008 a few days away, I thought I’d recap my tasting notes on the wines that made Wine Spectator’s top 100 that I was lucky enough to try. Unfortunately, the high prices of those wines in the top 50 were too much for me to taste more than a few! Maybe next year we’ll see more value wines making the top 50! NOTE - I’ve listed Wine Spectator’s ratings (WS Rating) and rank. For information on my Value Rating System, check out my ratings page.

Without further ado:

8. Mollydooker Shiraz McLaren Vale Carnival of Love 2006 ($80): Opened and tasted immediately: Mushroom, plum, cherry, big fruits, big yet soft tannins. Decanted. 2 hour decant: Great color. Still tight on the nose. The initial mushroom note is gone with the appearance of a musty-forest floor with a touch of pepper and bacon. On the palette it’s toasted cedar, vanilla, plum, pretty solid through the middle with a long, complex finish that goes on and on. At this point I’m definitely seeing 96 pts or more. 3 hour decant: Again showing better, more buttery now with a bit more spice. The fruits in this wine just don’t stop. Quite pleasing and still 96+ points. 4 hour decant: Just as elegant as before. I’m quite impressed with the structure of this wine and overall quality. Very good. A very solid 96 points. My rating: 96 pts, GV. WS Rating: 95 pts

12. Valdicava Brunello di Montalcino Madonna del Piano Riserva 2001 ($175): I have yet to try this wine, but it’s in the cellar and will be opened in 10 years or so!

16. Schild Shiraz Barossa 2005 ($25): Decanted - big dark fruits, spice, tobacco on the nose. On the palate the wine is explosive with big, dark fruit, leather, plum, tar. Smooth tannins, long finish - pretty straight forward big Aussie Shiraz if that’s your style, you’ll like this wine (the 2004 was a better wine overall). We had this twice and it was consistently good. My rating: 90 pts, GV. WS Rating: 93 pts

37. Navarro Zinfandel Mendocino 2004 ($19): Blueberry, blackberry, cherry and some spice notes on the nose, as well as a small petrol component. Very good balance given the amount of alcohol, smooth tannins and a medium-long finish. A good Zin and great value. Tasted 3 times with consistent notes and evaluation. My rating: : 93 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 92 pts

62. Louis Jadot Moulin-à-Vent Château des Jacques 2005 ($22): Decanted 1 hour. Earthy tones, cherry, raspberry and other bright fruits. On the palate the wine was very well balanced, with dusty tannins and a earthy, medium-length finish. Should get better with a couple years, drinking nice now with a long decant. My rating: 93 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 91 pts

71. Columbia Crest Merlot Columbia Valley Grand Estates ($11): Deep reddish plum in color with notes of plum, raspberry, vanilla and blueberry on the nose. The body is surprisingly creamy with soft tannins layered with good fruit and tar flavors. Long finish accented by a subtle chocolate note - well made bargain Merlot. Buy a case and enjoy one of the best values out there. My rating: 89 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90 pts

72. Yellow Tail Shiraz South Eastern Australia The Reserve 2005 ($11): With all the hype about the Yellowtail reserve Shiraz, I felt it would be fun to grab a bottle and see for myself whether it was warranted. I did not taste this blind, but I wish I had, it was very good. The wine was filled with dark fruits and spice with surprising balance and really smooth tannins. The finish fell apart a bit, but overall the wine is a great value and highly recommended as a daily drinker. My rating: 88 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90pts

77. Heidsieck Monopole Brut Champagne Blu Top NV ($35). Tasted from 375 mL bottle. Pale yellow color with plenty of tiny bubbles. Apple, pear, buttered toast with good balance. Light, crisp, and very refreshing. My rating: 90 pts, VGV. WS Rating: 91 pts.

92. Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2006($14): Pale yellow color. On the nose is wet stone, pear, honey and a touch of lemon rind with citrus, pear and some more honey on the palate. This wine has some wild acidity but it’s not overwhelming and makes it a great spring/summer wine served with spicy cuisine. The finish is crisp and very refreshing. A great value wine from an outstanding producer. My rating: 91 pts, OV. WS Rating: 90pts

100. Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2004 ($70): Tasted twice. August 2007 - Filled with dark fruits, berry, currant, chocolate, touch of oak. Firm tannins, long finish. Another great wine from a great producer with good aging potential. My rating: 93 pts, CV. WS Rating: 92 pts

Caymus tasted again 12/26/07: Decanted 30 minutes at a wine bar. Real tight nose, blackberry, black currant, leather. On the palate the wine was a bit off from the other time I’ve had this and rated it 93 pts…the tannins were rough with a medium-long finish. Not corked, but maybe an off bottle. My rating: 87 pts (PV, poor value as it showed this time around).

Teela Zinfandel, Barkow Vineyard, Dry Creek Valley - 2005

An excellent wine for the price ($16). The nose was creamy with oak, red berry, spice. A lot of fruit on the palette actually made me smile while I was tasting the wine. A move into a hint of tobacco and some spice before a long finish with chewy tannins. The high alcohol content is noticable, but not overwhelming. A very good wine for the price. My rating: 89 pts

Hamburgers and Zinfandel

I am still back in Michigan spending some quality time with my new niece, Kim and my family. As I expected I’ve been doing a lot of cooking since I’ve been home and came prepared with my steel (set of Wusthof’s Classic Series Knives). Last night was olive oil poached Jumbo shirmp and ribeyes. We had a nice 2005 pinot from the Williamette Valleythat was quite enjoyable. Tonight I’m working on some classics, including a serious Mac’N'Cheese (6 cheeses, roasted pablano’s and jalepeno’s), a lamb shoulder, dandilion greens, french beans, honey and vinegar glazed beets, chicken kabob’s, and of course, hamburgers!

Hamburgers are one of my favorite foods. Juicy ground meat, toasted bun, crisp tomato, and a variety of other items make the burger a fun item to pair with wines. A spicy burger may do well with a syrah or zinfandel, where as a burger served with Blue cheese may actually be nice with spicy gewurtztraminer or sweeter sauterne. The options are endless and with a little hard work and preparation, the wine and burger can come together as one.

Tonight I’m going to use a zinfandel reduction as a major component of the burger. I’ll also be working with some peppers giving spice notes that will pair well with the zin. Using a wine in the preparation makes pairing the wine with the burger easier. As always, only use a wine in your cooking that you would drink on its own! A nice dish can be ruined by a corked, or otherwise unpalatable wine.

Whatever your tastes, the most important thing to remember with pairing wine and burgers, as well as any food, have fun! There are no rules. Do what makes your palette the most content and don’t forget to share with your friends and loved ones!

A few zin’s to try:

• Rosenblum Zinfandel Appellation Series (2005) - $13
• Ridge Zinandel Geyeserville (2005) -$23
• Girard Zinfandel (2005) - $22
• Hartford Family Zinfandel Highwire Estate (2004) - $40

Rosenblum Zinfandel Appellation Series - 2005 - $13

Zinfandels are all around just a lot of fun. They are usually filled with intense fruits and a medium to high alcohol content. They can also be a bit spicy, which makes them a great pairing with wild game. The grape itself arrived in Long Island in the 1820’s by the way of Vienna, Austria (although it has been established that the grape was first found in Croatia). It quickly made its way over to California where it is now flourishing. In fact, California may be the most well known region in the world for exceptional “zins” as they are often referred to as.

Those of you familiar with Rosenblum may know that they produce a variety of zins (19 in fact). They 2005 Appellation Series from the San Francisco Bay is a litlte spicy and has a nice structure. It is a touch earthy for a zin, and has hints of chocolate and cherry. I’ve had this one a few times and have enjoyed it on many occasions. It will pair well with a spicy chicken dish, or even grilled chicken or duck.

Notes: “At one time this historic winegrowing region had more vines than the Napa Valley. As a result of this Appellation’s sedimentary soil and sand, phylloxera did not devastate these marvelous old vines.” - Rosenblum.com

Hartford Family Zinfandel - Highwire Estate - 2004

Hartford Family Zinfandel Highwire Estate (2004) - $40

Having three dogs, I know the difficulties of traveling both with and without your family pets. If you decide to travel with the pet, you have to make arrangments for pet-fiendly hotels or vacation properties, you have make frequent travel stops, and often have to structure a days activities around Fido’s well being. For this reason, or many others, we often can not take our pets with us.

This was the situation my friend Ahleah was in a few months back. She was traveling to New York and needed to leave her dogs behind. The boarding situation was an option, but I offered to watch her dogs for her since boarding is expensive and I love dogs. She took me up on it, things went well and that was that. The best part of watching her dogs was her compensating me for my time with a bottle of

the 2004 Hartford Highwire Vineyard Zinfandel from the Russian River Valley. I love Zin and had never heard of this particular wine, so though I did not expect a gift (and even felt that it wasn’t necessary), I was very excited to give it a try.

I put the wine in my cellar where it only lasted two weeks before my curiosity got the better of me. Kim was house-sitting for a friend who has a cat and a lot of plants and flowers that need to be watered. We both went over to tend to the yard and cat, and with us, brought the Hartford zinc (it seemed fitting). We sat on her friends back porch, opened the bottle and were immediately taken in by the wonderful color of the wine.

This wine is very rich and elegant. It offers raspberry and pepper on the nose. The earthiness is perfectly balanced with the fruits, and the French oak stands out nicely. It has a lot of alcohol, but is not overwhelming. It’s really a complex, big zin that has a finish that almost never ends! Notes on the wine suggest a few more years until it’s fully open, but it was great after a few minutes of air. I would recommend this to anybody who likes zinfandel, syrah or pinot noir. It’s a real treat.

Some background. “The 99-year old Highwire Vineyard takes its name from the vineyards trellising systems: half of the parcel is head trained and half is trained on an unusually high wire strung between each vine. This unconventional trellising method was devised by vineyard owner Lloyd Chelli to permit greater sun exposure and promote even ripening.” - Producer notes.

Why you should drink a zinfandel today…

The fourth of July represents one of the most important days in American history. A celebration of our independence from British rule, this is a day that should be not only about American beer and hotdogs, but also classic American made wines. What better way to celebrate our country than with a grape variety considered “America’s vine and wine.”

Zinfandel (or zin) is commonly high in alcohol (~14%) and is filled with big fruits (dark berry, black cherry, plum) and often spice (black pepper). The lush texture combined with the known for its intense fruitiness, lush texture, and high alcohol content.

Five zins I would suggest for a great fourth of July:

• Hartford Family Vineyards Highwire Zinfandel 2005
• Ridge Geyersville 2004
• Laura Zahtila Vineyards Zinfandel 2004
• Kunde Estate Zinfandel 2001
• Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel 2004